andrea hasler: burdens of excess

andrea hasler: burdens of excessgusford gallery, los angelesjune 7 – august 10, 2013

for her first solo exhibition with the gusford gallery, andrea hasler has transformed the entire space into a chic, glittery boutique, filled with works from her desire series. through her deconstruction of high-end designer items, hasler’s wax sculptures morph consumeristic ‘must-haves’ into organic, fetishistic objects.

deconstructed dior saddle bag and wax, 2013© andrea hasler

hasler’s work focuses on constructions of identity and collective desires, and is characterized by a tension between attraction and repulsion. the works in the desire series, in particular, focus on the obsession of projections of affluence and glamor. reworking designer bags, shoes, and accessories into organ-resemblant sculptures, hasler’s works engage with the psychological aspects of consumerism, blurring the lines between what you are and what you must have.

 deconstructed bulgari bag and wax, 2013© andrea hasler

through the transformation of gusford’s melrose avenue gallery space into an indulgent, glamorous shop, hasler’s installation embodies the epitome of luxurious excess, and looks to a dystopic future, where brandedorgans may one day be the ultimate fashion accessory.

deconstructed mcqueen bag and wax, 2013© andrea hasler

‘in history, to illustrate various medical conditions people used anatomical wax models. in the 1800s moulages, the waxes are showing injuries or pathological change in the body and these often formed part of traveling shows across europe; partly for entertainment, and partly with the aim of public health education‘ says andrea hasler.

jimmy choo shoes and wax, 2013© andrea hasler

andrea hasler

was born in 1975 in zürich, switzerland, and currently lives and works in london, UK.she holds an MA fine art from chelsea college of art & design, and her work was recently exhibited at the 1st santorini biennale of arts in greece, 2012.